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<\/p>\nMike Sullivan has delivered plenty of speeches in the locker room.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Playoff games. Stanley Cup finals. A gold-medal showdown at the Olympics.<\/p>\n
The New York Rangers bench boss has also addressed teams in the dog days of a professional hockey schedule that might stretch from September to late June.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can play over 100 times a year as an NHL hockey player,\u201d Sullivan said. \u201cI feel like the Knute Rockne speeches get old.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s in reference to the famed University of Notre Dame football coach\u2019s legendary motivational pre-game rallying cry of \u201cWin one for the Gipper\u201d from the 1920s in honour of late star halfback George Gipp.<\/p>\n
Sullivan, who helped the United States defeat Canada in a thrilling showdown to top the podium at the recent Milan Cortina Games, instead usually takes a measured approach when he has his group\u2019s full attention.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThe biggest thing is to be real and just to be authentic and be yourself,\u201d the two-time Cup winner with the Pittsburgh Penguins said earlier this season. \u201cTry to keep that messaging simple and clear.\u201d<\/p>\n
Coaches hitting the right note and having a handle on their teams are crucial to delivering a message.<\/p>\n
Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube provided a memorable speech before his St. Louis Blues went out and won Game 7 of the 2019 Cup final on the road. His words caught on camera outlined structural points, while at the same time emphasizing his belief.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe\u2019re gonna f\u2014\u2014 come home with the Cup,\u201d Berube concluded.<\/p>\n
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Blues centre Robert Thomas, who was in the room that June night, said the moments before puck drop can play a significant role in the outcome.<\/p>\n
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\u201cMaybe you\u2019re trying to just settle it down or focus energy,\u201d he said of a coach. \u201cIf it\u2019s a Tuesday in November, maybe it\u2019s bringing that excitement. It\u2019s about reading the room and seeing how your guys are feeling and how you can try and get their best.\u201d<\/p>\n
New Jersey Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe said a pre-game speech should strike a balance with teaching and video work already complete.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou want to be consistent in terms of how you lay things out,\u201d he said. \u201cYou\u2019re going to be short and direct, and let the players go out and do their thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Florida Panthers winger Sam Reinhart sometimes catches himself waiting to see what his bench boss, the colourful Paul Maurice, has in store \u2014 especially on a long road trip or before the second game of a back-to-back, when legs can be heavy.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou go through the your warm-up, you\u2019re exhausted, you\u2019re not really feeling it,\u201d Reinhart said. \u201cHe\u2019s got a knack of switching that mentality and getting you ready. It\u2019s a tough skill. I don\u2019t think there\u2019s a lot of coaches that are able to do that \u2026 you\u2019re curious what kind of angle he\u2019s going to take.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUsually, he\u2019s hitting the nail on the head.\u201d<\/p>\n
Montreal Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis, meanwhile, said it isn\u2019t his job to get players\u2019 blood pumping on a nightly basis.<\/p>\n
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\u201cIf you\u2019re not motivated to go play in the league, you\u2019re in the wrong business,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I know over 82 games, sometimes you have to inspire your group \u2026 it\u2019s just a feeling you get. I try to do that, be precise with that when it\u2019s the right time.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Andrew Brunette of the Nashville Predators \u2014 like Sullivan, Berube, St. Louis and Keefe, a former NHL player \u2014 said a lack of authenticity will be sniffed out.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeen around some coaches that overthink it,\u201d he said. \u201cThe message has to be real. It goes by who you are, what you believe in, what you\u2019ve been through, and how you see it. If the coach feels it, I think the players feel it.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of players see right through a coach when it\u2019s phoney. You\u2019ve always got to be yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n
EAST IS A BEAST<\/p>\n
Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper has seen plenty in his day. He hasn\u2019t experienced anything like the Eastern Conference gauntlet of 2025-26.<\/p>\n
The West is top-heavy with the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars and Minnesota \u2014 all in the Central Division \u2014 leading the charge, but also has the five of the league\u2019s six bottom-feeders.<\/p>\n
The Pacific Division, meanwhile, is led by the Anaheim Ducks, who would be on the outside of the East\u2019s playoff picture with 75 points. The Boston Bruins currently occupy the second wild-card spot with 78.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThis is as tough a conference as I\u2019ve ever seen it,\u201d Cooper said. \u201cAnybody\u2019s game, this one. It felt like the West, there was a little bit of an arms race (at the trade deadline), where some of the top dogs made themselves better.<\/p>\n
\u201cEastern teams did make some moves, but it seemed like there was a little bit more of, \u2018We like what we have and we\u2019re gonna go for it.’\u201d<\/p>\n
-With files from Daniel Rainbird in Montreal.<\/p>\n
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 11, 2026.<\/p>\n
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